Hey guys! I am super excited that you guys like this story! Sorry for waiting to post another chapter, finals and getting ready for graduation. I should have another chapter up tomorrow now.
Enjoy :)
Chapter 4:
Alex hadn't felt this nervous in a long time, the kind of nervous where the thought of eating makes you want to throw up. Most of her clothes were for when she was on base, pretty much giving her the option between white or black t-shirts with her name on them and different colored pants or jeans. She tried to make everything she had look different, but it didn't seem to matter because it all looked the same.
Adjusting her glasses, Alex stands in front of the duffle bag on the floor just wearing boy shorts and a bra. Why was it so important what she looked like? Finally, she decides on a pair of tight black jeans with rips at the thigh and knees with a white t-shirt that had VAUSE stitched into the sleeve. There wasn't much choice for the shirts because she had been wearing them all week while working on the house, leaving them sweaty and gross. Alex knew she had to get going but her nerves keep rising up farther into her throat the more she thinks about going over there.
The drive over felt like it took only mere seconds yet a whole hour at the same time. She pulled up in front of a little white house with flowers all around the yard in various places. There was a swing set with a simple slide that had different flowers around it, the porch off to the side had flowers across the railing. Walking up slowly to the front door, up a couple of steps her palms began to get sweaty and right as she was about to turn around the door opened.
"Alex!" the little girl looked up at her with the biggest smile on her face. "I was playing while mom made dinner, c'mon." Her little hand grabbed Alex's, pulling her inside to a living room type area where there were Legos all over the floor.
Piper heard the little girl bring Alex into the living room, making her way over to say hello, but was stopped in her tracks quickly. There Alex lays on the floor with her daughter playing with those stupid building blocks she is always stepping on.
"Hey…" Piper felt her voice give out and she smacked herself for acting this way around this woman.
"Hey, you." Alex gives a mini-wave before Taylor taps at her arm to get her attention once again.
"Alex! I am this car, you are that one." The little girl stated matter of factly looking Alex right in the eyes as she did so.
"Sweetie, Alex is our guest. Be nice." Piper couldn't help but smile at her daughter as she frowned slightly. "Alex, dinner should be ready in a few minutes." And with that Piper walked back into the kitchen to finish making dinner.
Piper let her thoughts travel back to the woman in the living room. Alex had looked amazing in just some black jeans and her t-shirt, but it was the way her hair played off her shoulders that caught Piper's eye. It was kind of wavy, like she had just showered and drove with the window down on her way over here.
Piper hears a small knock while she was deep in thought, scaring her back into reality.
"Hey, do you need any help? Taylor went to wash her hands and put away her Legos." Piper let her mouth drop slightly at Alex saying this.
"She never cleans up her stuff. That is very impressive." Piper turns back to the stove to finish sauteing the steak and onions in the pan. "The dishes are up in this cabinet if you want to set the table." She pointed by her right shoulder as she said this, showing Alex where to go.
Soon, Piper felt a warmth over her shoulder close to her ear and when she glanced over Alex was right there, reaching for the dishes in the cabinet. Alex let her left hand lightly touch Piper's hip as she did this, as if for balancing. When she had successfully grabbed a few plates she stepped back slowly from Piper, as if having to catch her breath for the first time all night.
Piper felt herself shudder at the new cold feeling of Alex being away from her. She didn't want to admit that the feeling of Alex being so close had felt so good. She could hear Alex setting the plates down on the small kitchen table with silverware.
"Mommmmmm!" The little girl was whining down the whole hallway as she entered the kitchen with the two women. "I'm hungry." Taylor sat at the table and began playing with her fork while waiting for dinner to finish. Alex looked over to Piper as she had been taking the pan off the stove and dumping the contents into a serving bowl.
"Perfect timing, baby!" Piper set the bowl on the table before pulling it away slightly. "Hey, Alex first!"
"It's okay, Piper." Alex takes the bowl from Piper and hands it to Taylor with a smile on her face.
Dinner went by smoothly with many laughs and stories from the little girl and Piper. Alex hadn't laughed like that in a really long time.
Currently, Alex and Piper were doing dishes together while Taylor got ready for bed. Alex felt a sense of calm take her over when she stood next to Piper, something she hasn't felt since before she joined the military. After finishing drying the dishes, Alex sat down at the kitchen table with the glass of wine she was still nursing from dinner.
"What is that you do, Alex?" Piper said as she was putting the dishes away in their right spots.
"I'm in the military." Alex plays with the stem of her wine glass. "I am off tour for a little bit and I wanted to get away for a little bit."
"Why?" Piper looks at Alex intently before they were interrupted.
"Alex!" Taylor came over to Alex, climbing on her, accidentally spilling the wine on Alex. "I'm sorry!" Taylor yelled as if Alex was going to be really angry.
"Hey, it's okay." Alex hugged Taylor to her close, trying to make it so the little girl wasn't scared anymore. "It's just a shirt, girly."
"You're not mad?" Taylor looks shyly up at the brunette, as if it was all a joke and that she was really angry.
"Of course not!" Alex picked her up and set her down on her feet before standing up herself. "Can I borrow a shirt?" She turned to Piper when she said this, smiling slightly.
"Uh- Yeah." Piper was taken aback by the whole exchange, realizing this is the first person in Taylor's life to not get upset at her, to care for her just as she did.
Alex had gotten Taylor to set up a movie in the living room while she followed Piper back to her room to get a shirt. "This one may be a little big, but I think it will work." PIper hands Alex a shirt before she realizes what Alex is doing.
Alex had taken her shirt off right in front of her, making Piper stare slightly. At first, Piper was distracted by how fit Alex was but soon her eyes got caught up on all the scars and the fresh stitches that were all over her torso. Alex realizes what she was doing and that Piper was staring.
"I'm sorry. I am just used to changing in front of the others on my team. Tight quarters, you know." A slight blush covers Alex's face as she quickly pulled on the fresh t-shirt, covering her body back up.
"Alex, what happened?" Piper feels her face changing instantly to worry for the woman in front of her. Alex felt herself tense a little, never used to telling anybody anything.
"It just happened on tours." She crossed her arms slightly over her chest, uncomfortable with the situation. "I'm sorry you had to see that." Instantly Piper could see the pain behind Alex's eyes, like a deep dark secret was held there.
"Don't be sorry for that, you can't control it." Piper reaches for Alex but at that moment Taylor came in and pulled Alex into the living room.
"I chose my favorite movie." Taylor pushed Alex so she sat down on the couch, sitting right next to her with her blankie in her lap.
Back in the bedroom Piper was trying to collect herself from what she was feeling. Those scars were startling to her, the gruesome way they cut across her skin, deep and some were shallow. Seeing the fresh stitches were the worst because they were beat red around the sides, dried blood was still sticking to the actual thread, and the worst was there were about four of them, all long and in a slicing manner.
"Mom!" Her little girl yelled from the living room. Piper finally wiped at her face with both hands before walking out to the living room with her daughter. When she walks in she sees Taylor leaning against Alex with her blankie covering her. Alex has her arm around the back of the couch with her head tilting back slightly, as if trying to stay awake. Piper sat down on the other end of the couch looking at her daughter who is barely awake as she leans more into Alex.
Alex lifts her head to look over at Piper who is smiling shyly before mouthing a 'thank you' to her. She felt her heart warm slightly at the sight of Piper sitting on the other end of the couch with her head leaning on the back of the couch.
After the three girls falling asleep on the couch watching the movie, Alex gets up, carrying Taylor to her bed. She placed the little girl in the bed, pulling the covers over her before whispering a 'goodnight' to her before leaving the room.
"Thanks for tonight, it was really fun." Alex smiles at Piper as she steps outside the front door, turning around to face Piper.
"Thank you for coming over tonight, it meant a lot to her." Piper says, looking down at her feet.
"Just her?" Alex smirks at the blonde in front of her. Piper feels a shade of pink cross her face and the words get stuck in her throat that she wants to say. "I'll see you around, Chapman." And with that Alex took off into the night back to the house she and Taylor have been working on that week.